The Grenada gazette. (Grenada, Miss.) 1885-18??, 1887-03-19

San Francisco, Texas or Manitoba. in
lieu of money.
""hat makes you say 'banner:9'"
one Of the craft was asked.
"Cause no one can get onter wot
you means. II ye'er broke yer don't
want nom but yer friends to know it,
an ef yer says 4 hain't got der banner
Jest yer own friends in yer own biz is
all dat ketches on"
why DO you care whether or not
people know when you're brokc?'
"a Teller wot's got any finn don't
want de high-rollers to think he's hun.
CRY ur has ter sneak inter an engine
room to sleep"
What do the boys do when they are
broke and hungry"
"Borry a nickel, eff dey can. Mabv
dey borrys a cent an rcsks it on craps
an gets a starter. Dem fellers dat
begs on de streets nights is mostly
crap boys dat won't let up playin' an
gets clean broke so none of de gang
will lend EN-. Dey don't 60 buy moth
IN to eat nor no lodgin' wild de money.
Dey's too mad fur de craps fur dat"
The majority of the children of the
streets resort to two places for food.
They are both restaurants, devoted en-
tirely to their needs. The larger one
is in the alley by the Daily News build
ing, and is conducted by a pleas
ant-faced woman. 1t is filled with
boys from morning till night. For a
dime they are served with a steak, fried
potatoes, bread, coffee and a cigarette.
Inc most ragged ard unkempt urchin
is transformed into a bon uivant by the
%epicurean air he assumes when he
lights his weed after a square meal.
"lf a boy buys n bob meal a day,
it is all he can do,' SAID the little
woman. Usually they purchase only
a penny's worth at q time-a bun or
doughnut. Tho, may be in u dozen
times during the day to get a cent
worth of food whenever they have one
to spare, but a boys in good luck when
he a afford more than one regular
meal a day. One little chap, as long
as I've been here, has never bought but
a penny worth at a time. He doesn't
know what warm food is. Some of
these poor little fellows you see have a
father or mother. some drunken
wretch, who keeps watch of them. The
boy probably doesn't live at home, if
there is such a place, but sleeps in five
centlodgings or wherever he can. The
father Or mother comes around the al
ley searching for him regularly and
takes almost all he has. Other BOYS
have a home, but are, in reality, the
support of it. They have brutal or
drunken parents, and if they don't
bring home money every night are
beaten. | know one boy, who, during
the coolest weather. didn't have a
mouthful all day except what was
given him, because he gets a whipping
every time he doesn't bring home sixty
cents at night"
The second restaurant for the waits
is in an alley near the old Board of
Trade building. Nothing but a street
boy or a rat could ever find it without
directions. 1t is a quaint little place
under the alley, where a sandwich can
be had for three cents. 1t is pretcn-
tious, although not larger than a good
sized dry-goods box, and has a bill of
fare nailed up by the entrance. Leak
age from the roof is prevented by thick
building paper and square tin pie-pans
fastened to the ceiling.
The Independent children of the
streets form a distinct body-a clan.
Each one is known to all the others.
Not often does any one bear his proper
cognomcn, but is called by some name
bestowed upon him by circumstance,
personal peculiarly, or the naH of the
town or locality from which'lc claims
to have come. San Francisco
"Mjchigan,' ''Dctroit,' "Pcoria,'
New York" "Orleans,' are Ill appel
lations to which the Arabs answer
every day. One light-colorea lad is
known as "Yaller.' Another has no
name but "CufIy.' There is "Turn
Around" "Stand-Of." "Sandy.'
Red" and "Appotito Rcd;'. FATTY
skinny "Toenails." "Fingers,'
"slicky," ''Appetite Bill, the Dough-
nut Boy so named because he is the
champion doughnut eater of the city;
and big ''Squinty,' Google
and ''Two Coats ''The Boy De-
tective' is q comparatively newcomer.
He came into town with a bag in his
hand. Great was his assumption of
verdancy. When he entered the
strect-boy's ranks they undertook to
have a great deal of fun with him.
They called him "Hoosier." This
r~reenness lasted for day
mr. two. until he had